News – Page 979
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NewsDepartment of Health: 'Staff may lose focus on patients during reforms'
The Department of Health has acknowledged that Andrew Lansley’s sweeping NHS reorganisation risks distracting staff from their £20bn savings target, and from patient care.
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NewsBill could lead to 'dilution' of pensions benefits
Monitor could push for the value of NHS pensions to be reduced under the terms of the Health Bill.
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NewsCommissioning board given 'draconian' powers
The Health Bill awards the NHS Commissioning Board “draconian” powers to intervene in and split up “failing” commissioning consortia, analysis by HSJ and NHS legal experts Beachcroft finds.
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NewsNigel Edwards to leave NHS Confederation
Nigel Edwards will end his 12 years at the NHS Confederation this summer after deciding not to put himself forward for the position of chief executive.
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NewsFramework for FT no-hopers 'in the coming weeks'
The Department of Health’s managing director of provider development has said the new arrangements for getting non-foundation trusts authorised will be published soon.
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NewsHealth secretary to have extensive powers to 'prescribe' public health functions
The Health and Social Care Bill includes wide and varied powers for the secretary of state to dictate council’s public health activities.
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Central grip tightens under 'independence' bill
The government’s ambition to liberate the NHS has been called into question after the Health and Social Care Bill published last week apparently granted wide ranging powers of intervention to the health secretary.
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NewsHealth Bill maintains light touch on consortia
The health bill published today maintains a light touch approach to requirements for commissioning consortia, but appears to leave wriggle room for more prescription in future.
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NewsCommissioning transition to cost £1.2bn
The transfer of commissioning to consortia and the NHS commissioning board will cost £1.2bn in the next two years, according to the Department of Health’s impact assessment of the Health and Social Care Bill.
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NewsDH ordered to disclose cost of swine flu vaccine
The Department of Health has been ordered to release data on the costs of last year’s swine flu vaccination programme, after it failed to comply fully with a Freedom of Information Act request.
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NewsPublic health agenda more important than NHS, says Lansley
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has criticised the “obsessive” focus on commissioning consortia, ahead of the publication of the health and social care bill later today.
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News'Stalinist' controls grip expiring SHAs
The Department of Health has handed the NHS a set of 116 performance measures and 24 further priorities for 2011-12, as its “Stalinist controls” on the transition process become clear.
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NewsInnovation Expo to profile QIPP programme
Sir David Nicholson and health minister Earl Howe are spearheading the Department of Health’s support for the 2011 Healthcare Innovation Expo, which takes place in London’s Docklands on 9-10 March.
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NewsNicholson: NHS commissioning board will step in if consortia falter
In the first interview since his appointment as chief executive of the NHS Commissioning Board, Sir David Nicholson has outlined the measures it could take against poorly performing commissioning consortia.
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NewsEarl Howe: Contestability is 'not alien to integration'
Health minister Earl Howe has denied there is any conflict between opening up healthcare provision to more competition and encouraging collaboration between providers.
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NewsNew freedoms set out for NHS foundation trusts
Mergers will be considerably easier for foundation trusts under the rules set out in the health bill.
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NewsDo GPs have 'the balls' to decommission hospital care?
GPs must not “shirk” the challenge of downsizing NHS hospitals, GP and health commentator Phil Hammond argues in this week’s HSJ.
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NewsMajor questions remain over commissioning, say insiders
Major questions remain over the successful formation of commissioning consortia, despite the fast spread of “pathfinders”, according to those overseeing the process.
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NewsHealth secretary to get powers to 'direct' Monitor
The health secretary will be able to “direct” the independent regulator Monitor, under legislation set out in today’s health bill.
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NewsSmall consortia will reduce savings, warns DH
More than a third of the expected savings from transferring commissioning from primary care trusts to consortia will be lost if consortia cover small populations, the Department of Health’s impact assessment says.